Westland Sea King HC.4

Published: January 23, 2021
Company: Airfix

The Sea King has been a mainstay helicopter for many navy and army services around the world. The subject of this model is the British Navy HC.4 Commando. The scheme I chose was a bird from 848 Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force, Yeovilton in England 2011. The British Sea Kings are in the process of being withdrawn from service, as of March 2016.

This kit is the new mold from Airfix, and the small box is packed full of sprues, decal sheet and instruction book. There are several options that include extended or stowed main rotor blades and tail assembly, open or closed doors, and two markings to choose from. A small electric motor (purchased separately from Airfix) can be installed. Some modification within the cabin is needed, but everything is clearly illustrated. I… more

British Army AH-64D "Afghanistan"

Published: August 30, 2016
Company: Academy Models

This AH-64D Apache Longbow is license built by Westland/Boeing for the British Army. A couple of interesting features unique to the British built aircraft are the inclusion of folding rotor blades, and Rolls Royce Turbomeca engines that replace the General Electric T700 in the US machines. There are also some avionics and weapon systems differences.

This was a very enjoyable and for the most part easy model to build. The two instruction sheets are a foldout type with, for the most part, clear pictures and logical directions. There is one for assembly, and one for the parts tree map and decal guide. It was nice having the tree map separate as I didn’t have to fold pages back and forth to find a part.

The fit was very good overall. I had a couple of areas needing a small… more

A-4KU (AF-1) Skyhawk 'Brazilian Navy VF-1 15th Anniversary'

Published: July 3, 2016
Company: Hasegawa

The Hasegawa A-4 Skyhawk kits have been around for many years, and many models of this remarkable aircraft have been covered at one point or another. The Brazilian Navy is still operating these Skyhawk’s.

As I have built a Hasegawa A-4L before, I was armed with knowledge of certain areas that need a bit of care. As well as those where it is a joy to assemble.

The instruction sheet is the typical fold out sheet. The pictorial information and directions are clear and easy to understand.

The cockpit was first, and no problems there. The instrument panel and side consoles have beautiful raised detail that you can paint or apply the decals over. I chose to use the decals, and they overlaid the details perfectly. It was necessary to trim the carrier film in some… more